People often refer to older single's as 'leftovers.' Well, I am no leftover, nor do I deserve to settle for someone that is.

Here's What I'm Working On:

1. Get down to my goal weight

2. Set my finances up for a better future!

Past goal accomplished in 2012:

Date 40 men!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Seeking in Salt Lake City

Location: Speed Dating

Have you been wondering what I did last night to find some new men in this town?? Well…I tried speed dating! I have seriously been considering it for quite some time but was unsure of where to go to find this type of activity here in Salt Lake City. However, a friend of mine recently informed me of an upcoming speed dating activity happening with her church where several people were invited. They were expecting about 200 people. I was pretty excited because I knew that I would be meeting men of my own faith, which is important to me, but I would still be able to try the elusive activity known as speed dating. They always portray it in movies as something for desperate people but I think that it could be an efficient way to meet a lot of potential men. So, I decided to give it a try.

Before leaving for the dating/finding event, I had planned all day on getting ready for the evening by being on my game and by looking fabulous of course. It was just one of those days though; you know the kind that you just don’t feel like doing anything?? The day seemed to drag on and on and by the time I finally arrived home from work, I was so tired that I did not want to do my planned work out and then get cute. Instead, I ate a lot of food and took a nap! Ah, the good life. By the time I was supposed to be getting ready, I had to really find the will power deep within me to do something with myself to look presentable and to try and find a happy face hidden somewhere deep inside my frown. I did what I could and off I went.

Don’t get me wrong, I was totally excited about the event. I had planned in advance for it. I remembered reading in Dr. Phil’s book that you should create a 30 second sound bite about yourself. This is something that you can use when you meet people for the first time. It’s good to have something to say. I figured that this would come in handy for an event like this, so I came up with a good introduction for myself and had it running through my head all day in preparation. I’m not sure why the day left me tired and grumpy, but it did. Still, I’m glad I got myself out the door to do something.

Okay, back to the part about meeting mass amounts of men. When we first arrived on location, there weren’t a whole lot of people hangin’ around. I was a little worried. It did not take long for the place to fill up however. Good sign. I was nervous though. I looked around sizing up the competition and realized that I had just thrown myself into one of the biggest meat markets ever. I felt uncomfortable and slightly awkward. I had to keep these feelings in check and shake ‘em off so that my ‘date me’ vibe could shine through. Finally, it was time to begin. They told us where to go and sit, so my friend and I went and sat down hoping it would get everyone else started doing the same thing. Mistake number one. There were several lines of chairs facing each other and as they began to fill up, it was only sporadic in location, with several empty chairs in between. I looked down the row that we had chosen and felt increasing regret as I assessed the incoming flow of men. Not good!

As we began, I had no one sitting in front of me. Finally a brave young man came and took his seat opposite me. That was nice of him but young he was. I later found out in fact, that he was only 19…yikes. I feel like a child molester! Don’t worry, we didn’t exchange any info and any physical contact was completely unsolicited and accidental. Okay, next. Next we have the 30 year old weird, weird man. He didn’t say much. He smiled. He looked creepy. He had an unnecessary comb over; you know the kind where the part begins down at their ear but they have so much hair that in the long run it just ends up all poofy (could be his lack of product)? Unfortunately they were still figuring out how to run this thing and had no way to tell us when to rotate, therefore me and mister smiley had to chat for quite some time. I carried the conversation as I’m pretty sure he has never spoken to a girl in his life. In fact, I’m pretty sure he hasn’t spoken to many people besides his mother. The end.

Next…I’m not sure who was next, but I’m pretty sure it was the guy who didn’t have a name tag on the front of him. The first thing I did was ask him if he was too good for a name tag. Then he proceeded to whip out what he thought was a pretty manly move, where he turned his upper body to show me his name tag on the back of his shoulder. Somehow he felt that this was some way to flex and show his so-called muscles. Even after I inadvertently rolled my eyes and pointed out to him that I rolled my eyes, he continued to try his flexing moves to show some sort of hidden muscle beneath his womanly cardigan. He was bigger alright, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t muscle. He was definitely no Hercules. The line continued on from there, one after another. Short and balding, over-zealous military man, the guy who farted when he walked past me earlier, etc., etc.

Apparently luck was not on my side at this event. I didn’t find one instance where I felt like using the sound bite I had prepared. What I did get out of it however, was a sore throat from yelling over everyone else, just like I do for work all day. I carried just about every single conversation, further increasing my annoyance at men who do not take initiative. Sometimes I’m just tired of being the one to make all of the effort. I will continue though…I have to if I want to find success. It just gets old sometimes.

As a whole, it seems like the event could have been put together a little more efficiently. Oh well, it was good practice getting out there, learning to deal with creepy guys, or to talk to them anyway, and to step out of my comfort zone and enter the meat market without completely losing my sense of self. I kept my composure. One of my guy friends told me afterward that he waited until most other people were seated, and chose his destination from there. He was smart and scoped it out first. Well, lesson learned, next time I try speed dating, I will not be the first to sit down. Realization: none of the hot guys that were scoping wanted to sit in my row. Story of my life!

5 comments:

You are hilarious! There were some definite odd balls there. I totally admire your guts to get out there and try all these deferent routes of meeting men (albeit strange men). Keep it up! We're cheering for you!

Yeah for trying something different andt alking to muscle man. haha he is my new favorite person. I love it! I think you shoudl so try a better organized speed dating. If nothing else you will give me more funnyt descriptions to laugh at .l keep it up I promise u it will be worth it!

The Experiment: 40 Guys...One Year

As I enter the world of blogging, I find myself in an unforseen predicament. I am a 30 year old, single female living in...Utah?? This, I can assure you, is not how most young mormon girls imagine the destination of their life's paths at this point. No...we grew up dreaming of being the wife and mother that we were taught should be our foremost goal in life. Yet, here I am, with no husband in the foreseeable future. Contrary to any former misconceptions, I am still alive and you know what...I love it and am living it to its fullest, despite my marital status!! Some people may define me by this, but I am proud of my accomplishments and the person I have become today. Even so, like every other woman, whether they admit it or not, I want to get married and I'm frustrated with my progress in this area! I have come to the realization however, that in order to achieve my goals in life, I have to be proactive and take charge. Who says the guys have to do all the work?? I was recently challenged to try dating 40 men in my quest to find, "the one." While a seemingly daunting task, I think I am up for the challenge. I have created this blog to not only track my progress, but to share what I know and have learned or will learn about the esoteric "world of dating." I can assure you that I am no expert here but I intend to give this my best effort, seeking new methods of meeting men, striving for better dating ideas, and in the process, hopefully, creating a more dateable/marriageable me.